"Got fresh bread and cheese, and a Trdelnik for later.", she shifts into a defensive stance:"But I'm not sharing that one for just one apple no matter how tasty!"
Negotiations were one thing, but Roya was not going to give up her afternoon snack for a CHANCE to learn something. That was a line she was unwilling to cross.
The boy shrugs. "Okay." He hands Roya a couple of apples. As he and Roya sit down, divide out the food, and start eating, he tells her "my name's Silvio." Then he asks her "why are those grown ups over there sneaking around behind you?" Silvio gestures toward Correna, Grial, and Gen.
Correna turns away embarrassed at the boy noticing their 'hovering' nearby. Then points behind herself.
"We'll be nearby Roya. Across the road over there. Come find us?"
"Please to meet you!", Roya replies while they split the food. When he points out the adults, she shrugs, then points at Gen: "That one is my Aunt, the others are her friends or something. Back home in Magnimar, someone tried to abduct and possibly murder me, and ever since, I'm not allowed to play alone outside. They are breathing down my neck, it's so annoying. I told them I'd snap if I don't get to spend some time with someone my age - and I picked you because you seem nice!"
Did that come out wrong?
Roya blushes slightly at the accidental implication that she had an interest in the boy, then breaks the Trdelnik in half, as well: "They are nice enough, I guess, but it's so boring. Like, nothing exciting happens here, ever."
Silvio doesn't seem terribly interested in defending Roderic's Cove's against Roya's claims of dullness. He shrugs noncommittally and offers "the ghost thing yesterday sounded cool, I wish I'd seen it."
He then moves straight on to the interesting part. "I'm not sure I believe you. Why would someone try to kidnap and kill you? You don't seem rich or anything."
"Hm. The ghost was scary, kinda. Definitely exciting.", she eats a bit more, then finds herself needing to defend herself: "I am not rich. My parents kinda are."
She holds out her hands, showing the small silver bands on both of her Ringfingers.
After some more talk, Roya returns to the waiting others:"It seems Kynae is missing. The others have no idea where he could be found currently - maybe he's just hiding because he's afraid someone knows that he knows." She shrugs, then mentally considers the options:I guess we need to take a look at the haunted house?"
"That seems to be our next best path. If we see or hear of the boy, we can try and find him then. Otherwise...time to move out."
Unless suggested otherwise, Correna will move toward the haunted house of Roderick.
"Agreed, daylight is wasting and a haunted house is best explored by day. Well, if you want to get back out of it anyway".
As they were walking to the edge of the town, Roya fell in beside Correna:"Miss Soulburn, what do you know of the mansion? I heard some kids talk about it, but is it really haunted? Like, does the Ghost live there - well...unlive there?"
Correna shrugs.
"As I understand it...it is assumed to be haunted. Not that anyone has proven it is as far as I know. The ghost only seems to appear in town, not in the house, but anything is possible..."
"I wonder what awaits us there...", Roya ponders, unsure if what she feels is more excitement or more fear.
"Its just an old house as far as I know. Never been inside myself."
"So...do we go there now?", Roya figures she can no longer stall leaving by idle chatter. Even if she is a bit afraid of what they'll find there.
"Yes, we should go there now. Not to worry Roya, what's the worst that can happen!?"
'...what's the worst that can happen?...'
With the trigger-words spoken, a imaginative mind that only a master illusionists child could have, starts to spin up into overgear, to deduce the unlikely 'worst' of all the worse scenarios that seemed possible.
Roya shuddered, but remained silent.
Turning to lead the way, Correna adjusts her old sword-belt.
"Come on. I can lead us there pretty quickly. It's just outside of the town proper..."
Indeed. Sir Roderick's old house, known locally now as 'Roderick's Wreck' is not too far outside of town. The house isn't quite as close as Correna makes it sound though.
It takes a little under an hour to walk from town to Sir Roderick's old house. The foot trail is very overgrown from disuse, but it's still an easy hike that follows alongside the river. Roderick's Wreck is close to where the river meets the sea, tucked away in an alcove that makes it difficult to spot from out on the river.
The house has two stories, and looks like a cross between a mansion and a cabin, constructed as it is out of pine logs. After the deaths of Sir Roderick and his family, the house was never again used, and the long neglect is obvious.
Approaching the house, it is immediately apparent that Roderic’s Wreck is indeed a wreck. The house slumps visibly toward the water, one corner edging dangerously into the river. Boards in the house’s walls have warped and popped free from their nails, peeling back like bark from an old tree. The front door hangs slightly ajar. The sound of buzzing insects, creaking tree branches, and the river flowing by hangs in the moist air.
"The Wreck seems to be the worse for wear. What now? I'm unsure entering it is safe. Do either of you have any way to summon Roderick's ghost? My knowledge of magic is mostly protections and blasting things."
"Even if we could, do we want to?", Roya wonders, not really fondly remembering her first meeting of the Ghost.
"It looks squeaky and warped, but not that spooky - well, during the day. Should...should I go in and check it out? I think I'm light enough that the floors should carry me-"
"More danger from falling into the ocean or the house collapsing than from a ghost I'd wager.
I cannot summon a spirit for sure.
Let's enter and see if he appears to us. Or perhaps we will find something of value in there, once can never know until one tries!"
Gen heads into the open front door.
Correna pulls her back lightly.
"Gen, I'm probably the heaviest of us...let me tie some rope on you. I will anchor it here and pull you out quickly if you drop or the roof begins to collapse."
She pulls a rope out of her kit and shows she has it on her.
As you pause in the yard to decide on your approach, two small forms crawl out from under the porch stairs and take to the air. Their wings and size make them seem like bats at first, but as they fly nearer it's clear they aren't that at all.
In fact each of the creatures has 2 pairs of bat-like wings, with bodies and legs much more like those of an insect. You also notice compound eyes as they locate their targets and home in on you.
Roya quickly finds her Starknife in hand, nervously waving it in the general direction of the oversized insects in the international gesture of "stay away, stay away, panic, stay away".
Correna immediately drops her rope and draws her sword.
"Watchit! Stirges! Bloodsuckers!"
Initiative
Gen reacts quickly and casts Color Spray at the creatures.
Gen is quick to get a spell off, but the stirges are quicker and quite agile. They are both among you by the time Gen's spray of bright colors flashes out. One, swooping at Gen, is caught in the spell's arc, and drops to the ground blinded and unconscious.
The other though has already found Correna. It clasps onto her arm, digging its barbed legs legs in to hold on. It plunges its proboscis into her flesh and begins to suck her blood!
"Frag this!"
Coup-de-Grace on the unconscious Stirge with Sword!
Gen draws her curved blade and attacks the one attached to Correna.
Attack
Damage
Correna handily bisects the stirge lying on the ground. Oddly enough Roya's waving starknife collides with the stirge attached to Correna's arm and slices it open. It releases it's grip and falls to the ground dead as well.
While Correna is left with a small puncture mark on her arm, she's none he worse for wear.
Once again your'e left standing outside the old house looking at the porch.
Picking up her rope again, she loops it around Gen's waist tight enough not to slip free easily.
"Go ahead Gen. I can pull you back quickly if I need to do so. Roya, keep an eye out for more bugs...or whatever. Ghosts...you know."
When her Blade makes contact, Roya is at first shocked, then worried about Correna, then disgusted at the slimy substance covering part of her weapon.
Dropping it, she jumps back with a nervous "Eeep" before regaining her composure as she realizes no more of the beasts remain.
She steps forward, picks the starknife up on the opposite blades edge, and proceeds to wipe it clean on some grass and leaves, answering Correna:"Gosh, I hope Ghosts. Those Bugs are disgusting!"
Gen misses with her strike and watches at Roya does not, "Great job Ro!"
The then sheathes her blade and ties the rope around her waist, "Sure. I bet nothing else bad will happen at all!"
Gen casts Mage Armor, expending her last first level spell of the day.
Twisting her lips with indecision, Correna casts a small spell and touches Gen lightly, then shrugs.
"I've protected you from Evil too. I figure it can't hurt since you are taking the risk."
"Here goes".
Gen enters the house looking around but not speaking, not yet anyway.
Bracing the rope as much as possible, Correna concentrates on keeping a look-out for problems.
With the rope secured around her, Gen carefully climbs the few steps up to the front porch. Her slow, careful testing finds the porch nerve-rackingly creaky but sturdy enough except for one board that breaks when she puts weight on it.
Gen pulls away and topples over, but avoids having her foot and leg go through the hole and injuring herself. As she lies prone she notices a silvery gleam up under the baseboard of the door.
She pulls the small object out and finds it to be a small silver locket. Opening the locket she finds a cameo of a young woman.
Gen holds it up for the others to see, "Found something at least. A locket with a picture of a young woman".
Gen throws it back to Roya, "Catch dear!"
She then heads again up the porch and avoids the broken board though she does peer in to see if there is anything else to be found down there, if not, she proceeds forward.
Roya manages to step forward and catch the locked.
Opening it, she looks at the young woman, wondering.
Was that Rodericks daughter? His wife? Or did someone who came later lose it?
Looking up again, she takes note of the Half-Orc bracing the rope, then takes another look around to make sure no more of the bugs got stirred up.
"Please be careful, Aunt Jenny!"
The locket isn't heavily tarnished, which suggests it isn't ancient. Beyond that Roya can't tell how long it might have lain there.
Aside from the one weak board Gen stepped on, the porch is solid. Although it creaks she feels confident it is sturdy enough to hold everyone. She doubts the rope is necessary. A look through the hole left by the broken board reveals nothing to Gen except dirt a couple of feet below.
Gen tries the door and the knob turns easily. It is unlocked. Beyond the door she sees a hallway. A dank smell pervades the five-foot wide hallway. A set of stairs rises to the next floor, and the hallway turns sharply to the north past the staircase.
Gen turns back and calls out to Ro and Co, "Well, the porch will support us all.
You want to join me or should I scout farther and just run like hell if I see something I can't handle or feel the house shake?"
She shrugs.
"If you think it is safe, then we'll join you."
Correna rolls up the rope, disengages it, and re-draws her sword.
"Let's get this over with."
Roya steps up to the doorway, claps her hands, then bows deeply: "Excuse us, Mister Roderick, we just need to take a look. We come bearing no ill will."
With that, she quickly steps inside the house, curiously looking around but following the adults.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
From the entranceway in the hall you can see two doorways along the right side. There is enough light emitting from both for you to tell the doors are not closed.
A peek through the door into the closer room reveals scattered furniture including old stuffed chairs. A small desk also sits in the room's northwestern corner. A door on the north wall leads to another room.
The far side of the room, closest to the river, sags downward. You know from what you saw outside this must be the portion of the house that juts out over the river due to the erosion of the riverbank. In places there are broken or missing planks allowing light to seep in from below.
The stairs on the left side of the hall go straight up to a landing.
"Stay behind me. Shout if you see something I miss."
Correna turns right and gingerly moves to the door that is visible, her sword leading the way.
Roya does as she is told, staying behind the Half-Orc, hopefully keeping Correna between herself and trouble. The stirges had proven the place was not as empty as she had hoped it was.